Registering tobacco-booking block.



O. GIERSE.

REGISTERING TOBACCO BOOKlNG BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.5|19I4.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I m 0% qa enre.

THE COLUMBIA PLM ouRAPM cc, WASHINGTON. D. c.

0. GIERSE.

REGISTERING TOBACCO BOOKING BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1914.

1, 174,850. Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- O. GIERSEX REGISTERING TOBACCO BOOKING BLOCK.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6,1914. 1, 174,850. Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c

PATENT T @FFTCE.

OTTO GIERSE, OF DALLASTOVVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

REGISTERING TOBACCO-BOOKING- BLOCK.

Application filed January 6, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO Gmnsn, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Dallastown in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Registering Tobacco-Booking Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to booking block for leaf tobacco and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a block of the character indicated with means for registering the number of leaves that are spread over the same in order that the leaves may be removed from the block in desired numbers or in bunches of uniform number.

\Vith the above object in view the block comprises a body having a curved upper surface over which the leaves are spread as they are placed one upon the other. A shaft is journaled in the block and is provided with a dial adapted to move under a pointer. Pawl and ratchet mechanism is provided for rotating the shaft and a lever is fulcrumed upon the block and is operatively connected with the pawl mechanism and is adapted to be swung as each leaf is moved out over the block. A. spring actuated signal is pivoted upon the block and a spring held lever normally holds the said signal below the upper edge of the block. The free end portion of the said lever projects into the path of movement of pins which are carried by the ratchet wheel of the device and as the wheel rotates the said pins come in contact with the said lever whereby the same is swung and the signal is released so that it automatically moves above the upper edge of the block.

In the accompanying drawings:Figure 1 is a side elevation of the block. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same with part broken away. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the same. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the form of block as shown in Fig. 5. p

The block comprises a body 1 having a curved upper surface 2 the arc of curvature being upwardly disposed with relation to the base of the body. The said body is adapted to restupon a table, counter or other suitable support and the leaves of to- Specification of Letters Patent.

'to the body 1.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

Serial No. 810,669.

bacco are positioned at their intermediate portions upon the intermediate portion of the upper curved surface 2 of the said body and are then straightened or spread out along the end portions of the curved surface 2 of the said body. To accomplish this straightening and smoothing of the leaves the operator uses both hands. A shaft 3 journaled for rotation in the body 1 and carries at one end a dial a which is provided at its peripheral portion with a series of graduations or numbers 5. A pointer 6 is .ixed to the body 1 and is disposed over the numbers 5 of the dial a. A ratchet wheel Tis fixed to the shaft 3 and is provided at its side with one 01' more outstanding pins 8. .A holding pawl 9 is pivoted to the body 1 and at one end engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 7. A turning pawl 10 is movably mounted with relation to the body 1 and also engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 7. A spring 11 operatively connects the holding pawl 9 with the turning pawl 10 whereby the pawl 9 is resiliently held against the teeth of the ratchet wheel 7. A lev r 12 is fulcrumed upon the body 1 and is pivotally connected with the turning pawl 10. The upper end portion of the lever 12 normally lies above the curved surface 2 of the body 1 and the said end of the said lever is held in such position by means of a spring 13 one end of which is pivotally connected with the turning pawl 10 and the upper end of which is attached A shaft 1% is journaled in the body 1 and is provided at one end with a signal 15 which is located beyond the side of the body 1. A disk 16 is mounted upon the shaft 14 and is provided at its periphery with a shoulder 17. One end of aspring 18 is attached to the disk 16 at a point beyond the center thereof and the other end of the said spring is attached to the body 1. A lever 19 is fulcrumed to the body 1 and a spring 20 is connected at one end with the said lever and at its other end with the body 1. The spring 20 is under tension with a tendency to normally hold one end of the lever 19 in the path of movement of the pins 8 while the other end of the said lever 19 is normally held in the path of movement of the shoulder 17 provided upon the disk 16.

The block is used as follows presuming that the parts are positioned so that the unit of smallest denomination in the scale of numbers 5 is below the pointer 6: The signal 15 is swung below the curved surface 2 of the body 1 and is held at such position by means of the lever 19 which engages the shoulder 17 upon the disk 15. At this time the upper end of the lever 12 will be above the upper curved surface 2 of the body 1. As each leaf is placed upon the said curved surface and is spread out or smoothed by moving the hands along the said leaf and surface one hand comes in contact with the upper end of the lever 12 and the said lever 12 is swung against the tension of the spring 13. This movement on the part of the lev r 12 moves the turning pawl 10 longitudinally and the end of the said pawl engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel 7 and the said wheel is turned so that one tooth moves under or by the holding pawl 9 and the said pawl 9 engages the next adjacent tooth at the periphery of the wheel 7. As the wheel 7 turns as above indicated the shaft 3 is partially rotated whereby the dial & is carried under the pointer 6 and the number of next highest denomination is brought under the said pointer. This operation is repeated until a predetermined number of leaves have been smoothed and straightened out upon the block. When a suitable number of leaves have been assembled as indicated one of the pins 8 encounters the end of the lever 19 whereby the said lever is swung against the tension of the spring 20 and the other end of the said lever 19 is lifted above the path of movement of the shoulder 17 of the disk 16. Consequently the tension of the spring 18 comes into play and the said disk 16 together with the shaft 14 are partially turned. The turning movement on the part of the shaft 14: brings the signal 15 from a position below the upper curved surface 2 of the body 1 to a position approximately transversely of the said curved surface whereby one end of the said signal projects above the upper edge of the block. This indicates to the operator that the predetermined number of leaves have been assembled and when the book of leaves .has been removed from the block the operating parts of the register of the blocks may be moved to their initial position and the operation repeated. Therefore it will be seen that a simple and an effective mechanism is provided in combination with a tobacco booking block for accurately determining the hum-- ber of leaves of tobacco which will be included in book of leaves.

In the form of the invention as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 an assemblage of partsis arranged so that the block may be used for booking leaves of several different sizes. Therefore the block 1 is larger than the block as shown in Fig. 3 and its top portion is provided with openings 21 through which some ofthe signals 15 may pass when the said signals are operated. The shaft. 3 is longer than the same shaft which is shown in Fig. 3 and a number of sleeves 22, of different lengths are concentrically arranged on the said shaft. The said sleeves 22 are provided upon their forward ends with dials &' which are arranged to move under the indicator or pointer 6; each sleeve 22 also carries a ratchet wheel 7 which is adapted to be operated as hereinbefore described and which in turn is adapted to operate one'of the signals. Therefore in this form of block leaves of a certain size may be booked upon one portion of the block and leaves of other sizes may be booked on other portions of the block. As each leaf is spread over the block the adjacent lever 12 is manipulated whereby the cooperating ratchet wheel is turned and when a predetermined numberof leaves has been assembled in any particular book the cooperating signal is caused to make its appearance above the top of the block.

Having described the invention what is claimed is A tobacco leaf booking block comprising a body having an inflexible curved surface upon which the leaves may be spread, an indicator mounted on the body, a lever ful crumed on the body and operatively connected with the indicator and having an end portion normally projecting above the leaf receiving surface of the body and adapted to be depressed below the same by the same stroke of the hand that spreads a leaf upon the body, the end portion of the said lever when projecting above the leaf receiving surface being disposed at an obtuse angle with relation to the same and lying approximately parallel with the plane in which the edges of the curved surface lie, said lever being located beyond that portion of the said surface intended to receive the leaves.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' 7 OTTO GIERSE. lVitnesses CHARLES E. Nnss, C. N. GRESGY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

